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Quartiers libres
In Calgary and Portland, citizens are rethinking
the idea of urban planning all the way down
to a community-run streetside tea stand. À
Calgary et à Portland, des citoyens repensent le
concept de planification urbaine.

From retro-inspired turntables to floral installations, three hotel insiders show us how they set
the scene in some of the world’s top properties.
Entre tourne-disques et arrangements floraux,
trois spécialistes expliquent comment planter le
décor d’un hôtel.

Definitely not the Old Opera
Bêtes d’arrière-scène
Canadian creators Renaud Doucet and André
Barbe are leading the world of opera into its
next act. Les concepteurs canadiens andré
Barbe et Renaud Doucet conduisent le monde
de l’opéra vers le prochain acte.

There is nothing wrong with missing the
comforts of home when traveling, but there’s
no need to miss us. With over 85 locations
across Canada and in Phoenix,Tucson, Dallas,
Fort Worth, Denver and Seattle, there’s always
a great steak nearby.

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Letter of the Month
La lettre du mois
I was on a flight to Haida Gwaii when I saw the article “Harlem Renaissance”
(October). As I made my way through the seven reasons to visit the New York
neighbourhood, my mouth watering over the soul food at Miss Maude’s, I realized
what a soggy Vancouver chicken I’ve been! I’ve visited New York City on many
occasions and even lived upstate for a few months, but I’ve never been to Harlem.
The article was like a seven-step rehab program: By the time I got to reason number
one (I always read the magazine back to front), I was already mentally setting aside
Aeroplan® points and deciding that the next time I go to the Big Apple, a visit to
Harlem – and a plate full of fried chicken – will be at the top of my list.
Michelle Murphy
Vancouver

While the movies have the Oscars, magazines
have the Eddies and the Ozzies, the biggest magazine awards in North America. enRoute has been
nominated for Best Full Issue, Best Overall Design
and Best Cover, with the results being announced
at a gala in New York this month. We’ll keep you
posted on how we do (wish us luck), but we’re happy
to say that our office is already filling up with this
past year’s trophies. At the Lowell Thomas Travel
Journalism Competition, one of our feature stories
tied with Travel + Leisure for the Bronze for Best
Magazine Article on U.S./Canada Travel. We won
Gold for Best Overall Editorial and a Bronze for
Best Special Issue (for our food issue) at the Custom
Content Council’s Pearl Awards. And we nabbed
Best Cover and Best Fashion Feature in French at
the P&G Beauty & Grooming Awards, hosted by
Queen Latifah in Toronto this past November.
(Our senior editor Jean-François Légaré, who
picked up the prize for his feature on how cities like
Toronto and Amsterdam foster emerging fashion
designers, can now say he’s met the Queen.)
That winning cover was for our June 2010 issue,
featuring the Orange Julep shot by photographers
Leda & St-Jacques, who gave our readers a stylish
take on the Montreal icon. Many of you wrote to
tell us that you were able to spot that same giant
orange ball from your airplane window, and how
much fun that was to see with the issue in hand.
We love to hear both kudos and critiques from our
readers (see more letters on page 12). Because
ultimately, you’re the judges that count.
Write to us: letters@enroutemag.net

The Executive First速 Suite.
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Everything we do is designed to make your
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速Executive First is a registered trademark of Air Canada.

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Letter from Calin Rovinescu
Le billet de Calin Rovinescu

A Winning Connection
L’union fait la force

Photo: brian losito

Ten years ago this month, Air Canada and Canadian Airlines combined to form
what is today the Best Airline in North America. Il y a 10 ans ce mois-ci,
Air Canada et Canadian Airlines s’unissaient pour former ce qui allait devenir le
meilleur transporteur aérien en Amérique du Nord.
A rush of airline mergers is occurring worldwide. Following the
combination of Star Alliance™ partners Continental and United airlines, Brazil’s TAM and Chile’s LAN airlines are forming the biggest
carrier in Latin America while in Europe British Airways and Spain’s
Iberia are also merging. It all reminds me of the song “I’ve Been There
Too” by, appropriately enough, the blues-rock group Ten Years After.
It was 10 years ago this month that Canada’s two largest airlines,
Air Canada and Canadian Airlines, combined to form what is today
the Best Airline in North America, according to the 2010 worldwide
Skytrax survey. The deal stabilized the Canadian aviation industry
and laid the foundation for a single national flag carrier that is now
the 16th largest of the world’s 1,000 airlines.
Corporate marriages are challenging; those involving airlines are
often the most difficult of all. We had to combine fleets with 17
aircraft types, of which only five were common. Aligning reservation
systems required rewriting millions of lines of computer code at
a cost of 100,000 person hours. Two vast networks had to be
integrated, as did tens of thousands of people in distinct workforces.
Countless items, including uniforms, manuals and loyalty plans,
needed to be harmonized. Harder still, it was all done while
maintaining a 24-7 global operation.
But there was a prize for this effort. Thirty-two routes and
12 destinations were initially added to Air Canada’s schedule, and
better access to Asia, Europe and South America meant we could
offer customers a single world-spanning network. We reinforced
these gains by centralizing international operations at hub airports,
positioning ourselves to capture international connecting passengers.
Wasteful duplication was eliminated without diminishing service.
Canadian aviation leaped a decade ahead, and we put that time
to good use. We rationalized our fleet to a manageable number of
aircraft types, and we were the first North American network carrier
to refurbish our entire fleet with lie-flat Executive First® Suites and
seatback video throughout. We also improved by combining best
practices and the collective experience of both employee groups,
who have evolved into today’s proud Air Canada family. And 10 years
later, we are not sitting on our lead but working harder each day to
earn your loyalty and keep Canada and the world connected.
Write to me: president@aircanada.ca

3 / After schussing down the
Olympic runs in the Japanese
Alps, head back to the ridge
hotel and apartments and
curl up in one of the spacious
rooms equipped with tatami
mats and sliding shoji partitions. Après avoir dévalé
les parcours olympiques des
Alpes japonaises, rentrez au
Ridge Hotel and Apartments,
dans votre spacieuse chambre
dotée de tatamis et de cloisons
coulissantes.
theridge.jp

DO YOU WANT
A CONCIERGE,
OR WOULD YOU
PREFER A
FOUR SEASONS
CONCIERGE?

There’s a huge difference, and, as a home owner at Four Seasons Private Residences Toronto, it’s a
difference you’ll experience each and every day. Your concierge is a valued employee of Four Seasons.
His or her job is to provide you with the same level of exceptional, personalized service that you’ve
experienced at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts throughout the world. Nothing less, often more.
It’s just one of the many pleasant subtleties of owning at Four Seasons Private Residences Toronto.
For more information contact our Presentation Gallery for your private appointment.

NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION – COMPLETION 2012.
STARTING FROM $1.9 MILLION | BY APPOINTMENT ONLY | 50 SCOLLARD STREET | 416.775.7500 | YORKVILLERESIDENCES.COM
Four Seasons Private Residences Toronto are not owned, developed or sold by Four Seasons Hotels Limited or its affiliates (Four Seasons). The developer, Bay-Yorkville Developments Ltd., uses the Four Seasons
trademarks and tradenames under a license from Four Seasons Hotels Limited. The marks “FOUR SEASONS,” “FOUR SEASONS HOTELS AND RESORTS,” any combination thereof and the Tree Design are
registered trademarks of Four Seasons Hotels Limited in Canada and U.S.A. and of Four Seasons Hotels (Barbados) Ltd. elsewhere. Sotheby’s International Realty Canada is the real estate agent responsible for the
sales and marketing of Four Seasons Private Residences Toronto. Independently owned and operated by Sotheby’s International Realty Canada. Prices, sizes and specifications are subject to change without notice.
E. & O. E. Photographs and illustrations are representational.

I love that I can do business
down in Hollywood and
then retreat into this minimountain community that’s
like a hippie village with a
cozy vibe. There are no billboards – nothing more commercial than a dry cleaner,
which can come in handy.
J’aime bien pouvoir mener
mes affaires à Hollywood,
puis me retirer dans cette
communauté sur la colline,
sorte de petit village hippy.
Il n’y a pas de panneau
publicitaire, rien de plus
que l’enseigne d’un nettoyeur
(ce qui peut quand même
être pratique).
2080 Laurel Canyon Blvd.,
323-654-1464

2 / PaCe

This is the only restaurant in
Laurel Canyon, so it has a
captive audience, but you
can get killer Italian food
here. The space is romantic
and beautiful, with exposed
wood beams and comfy sofa
benches along the walls. I
love the brick-oven flatbread
pizza, and the salmon is
famous. Ce resto (le seul
de Laurel Canyon) a une
clientèle captive et sert
une succulente cuisine
italienne. Le décor est beau
et romantique : poutres de
bois apparentes, confortables
banquettes le long des murs.
J’adore sa pizza mince au
four à bois, et son saumon
est renommé.
2100 Laurel Canyon Blvd.,
323-654-8583,
peaceinthecanyon.com

ENOUGH SAID.
It doesn’t just give direc
directions, it takes orders. A whole lot of them.
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Age 33
Location
Calgary
Claims to fame
Captain of the Calgary
Flames; all-time leading
scorer for the team; first
black captain in the NHL
Latest project
Gearing up for the 2011
NHL Heritage Classic, an
outdoor game against the
Montreal Canadiens taking
place next month in Calgary
Last vacation
Santa Monica, California
Next vacation
New York City
Travel essentials
Bible and laptop
Favourite souvenir
2010 Olympic Winter
Games gold medal in
men’s ice hockey from
Vancouver

Did you grow up playing
hockey?
I played a lot outdoors as a
kid, and I was fortunate to
have a rink down the street
from my grandparents’
house in St. Albert [outside
of Edmonton]. There was a
shack where you could go
warm up and change your
skates. A good day out there
was minus six Celsius. But
if it got cooler that was all
right, because the rink was a
little quieter and I had more
room to myself.
What’s your first
vacation memory?
When I was nine or 10, I
went with my grandpa for
a hockey tournament in
Norwalk, California. We
took the train from
Edmonton to Vancouver,
bussed across the border to
Seattle and then went to
L.A. on the train. It was a
long trip – I really enjoy
flying now! – but I got to see
a lot of different cities that,
as a kid, I’d only heard
about. And it was pretty
neat because [former NHL
stars] Bernie Nicholls and
Jim Fox were the guest
referees in the finals.

Are you looking forward to
the Heritage Classic?
It’s always really energizing,
playing in front of that
many people. Calgary is a
great sports city – even
when the team was going
through some tough times
there was an impressive
turnout. The fans will be
excited to host people,
including some extra
Montreal fans.
Do you have any tricks for
staying warm outside
during the game?
I’ll wear an extra layer of
socks and maybe one of
those little tuques football
players use under their
helmets. I don’t have any
long johns, so hopefully
they’ll have a team supply.
I imagine a lot of the
guys won’t be used to
wearing those.
What’s the craziest thing
a fan has asked you to sign?
A forehead. I couldn’t do it.
As a general rule now, no
body parts.

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5 / Hit your stride in these rugged boots, originally
made with the same rubber as their French manufacturer used to construct airplane tires in the 1950s.
Mettez les pieds dehors avec ces bottillons à la
robuste semelle de caoutchouc, conçus par le fabricant

Sweet dreams are made of this. enRoute magazine and its
international jury of experts will honour the best Canadiandesigned hotels around the world with the inaugural Hotel
Design Awards this fall. To become an overnight sensation, send
us your projects for consideration by March 10, 2011.

The biggest risk I ever took was
embarking on an international career
while raising a family. Luckily, both
have turned out very well! Le plus
grand risque de ma vie a été d’entamer
une carrière internationale avec une
famille à élever. Heureusement, les
résultats sont positifs.

À Las Vegas, notre journaliste mise sur
l’apprentissage du poker.
By / PAR Zach Everson iLLustrations By / dE Lauchie Reid
I peel up the corners of my cards to take a peek. Two aces. I look again.
Still two aces. My arms shake like I’m about to roll dice − so much for inscruta­
bility. The best possible starting hand demands an aggressive bet. I take a
deep breath and consider my wager.
A day ago, I didn’t know how to join a round of casino poker, and yet here I
am playing a no­limit Texas hold’em cash game at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
I have yesterday’s master class with two­time World Series of Poker winner
Mark Seif (pronounced “safe”) to thank for my newfound know­how. Seif’s
aggressive play has earned him the nickname Un, as in “Unsafe.” It’s also
earned him US$3­million from poker tournaments alone. I’m betting he can
help me stop always being the first one out when I play with friends.
“The number­one mistake most players make is that they play too many
hands,” he tells me in the casino’s beige and generally hushed (except for the
frat boys at the next table) poker room. His tip: If you’re in an early position, i.e.
if you’re dealt before most of the other players, only play ace­king, ace­queen
and pairs greater than sixes. If you’re in a middle position and the first to enter
the pot, play those hands as well as sixes and fives. And if you’re in a late

You look good in warm.
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South AFrIcA At the Sun City
Hotel’s School of Gaming, groups
of over 10 for the blackjack lessons
get a private room and customdesigned course complete with
a real game and a certificate at
the end. AfrIque du Sud À la
School of Gaming du Sun city hotel,

uSA Students at Manhattan’s
School of Cards get to graduate
with a degree in No Limit Texas
Hold’em. register for Introduction
to Poker, or up the ante with the
Profitable No Limit Hold’em course
to master the game’s mathematical, strategic and psychological
components. ÉTATS-uNIS Les
finissants de la School of cards de
Manhattan obtiennent un diplôme
en Texas hold’em no-limit. Deux
cours sont offerts, Introduction to
Poker ainsi que Profitable No Limit
Hold’em, où l’on apprend à maîtriser

Where else to play your cards right.

cArTeS de VISITe

Sun city resort, North West Province /
Nord-Ouest, 27-14-557-1000,
suncity.co.za

position, i.e. one of the last players dealt, analyze how your opponents have wagered. Betting for
fun and gabbing instead of studying your opponents − my style to date − is a terrible strategy.
To know whether you should stay in a game,
Seif suggests comparing your chances of completing a hand with the size of the payout and the
amount you need to bet. “To play great poker,
sometimes you’ve got to go broke,” he says. If the
situation demands it, bet it all.
But sitting on those pocket aces, that approach
gives me jitters. I swallow hard and follow Seif’s
advice: I bet about three times the big blind (a
wager the player two seats to the dealer’s left must
make). In this case, it’s $10. Only one of the nine
players at the table doesn’t fold. The dealer flops
three cards face up. I probably still have the best
hand, so I raise the betting by two-thirds of the
pot, which Seif says novice players with good
cards should do to “conceal the strength of your
hand.” I count out $60 in chips, trying to look casual
as I make the largest bet of my life. My remaining
opponent looks at his cards again… and folds. I
collect the pot, about $95, and myself.
After three hours, I cash out, having increased
my starting fund of $300 to a whopping $355. A
quick lunch, and I’m back in Caesars’ poker room.
And I spend my flight home playing poker on my
iPhone. Seif never did cover when to walk away.
Write to us: letters@enroutemag.net

Ace Hotel New York
Walk into the Ace Hotel New York, the latest addition to a trio of properties in Seattle, Portland and
Palm Springs, and you’ll find guests mingling with locals in the lobby – more of a living room than a
reception area thanks to a discreet check-in desk. The hotel’s laid-back vibe is due in large part to one of
the founders, Alex Calderwood, a former party promoter and self-styled “cultural engineer” who creates
spaces as comfy as your own home. This is how he does it. Vous trouverez autant de clients que de
résidants dans le hall de l’Ace Hotel New York, qui ressemble davantage à une salle de séjour qu’à une aire
d’accueil avec son discret comptoir d’enregistrement. L’atmosphère décontractée de l’hôtel, qui vient
s’ajouter aux établissements de Seattle, de Portland et de Palm Springs, est surtout attribuable à l’un de
ses fondateurs, Alex Calderwood, un ex-organisateur de soirées et « ingénieur culturel » autoproclamé
qui crée des espaces aussi confortables qu’un chez-soi. Voici sa méthode.

“everything in the hotel hAs
its own story And is there For A reAson.
i cAll it An instAnt clAssic.”
« chaque détail a son histoire et
sa raison d’être dans cet hôtel. c’est un
classique immédiat. »

4

1

2

4

photos: Douglas lyle thompson

1

2

3

5

-1-

-2-

-3-

-4-

-5-

Art
Œuvres d’art

Music Accessories
accessoires de
musique

BedspreAds
couvre-lits

Furniture
mobilier

closet
Placard

The idea for these blankets
came after we found a bunch
of vintage French military
ones, which we used at the
Ace Seattle. Then we started
working with Pendleton
Woolen Mills on making
custom blankets inspired by
hotel bedspreads from the
first half of the 20th century,
like the plaid one here.
On a eu l’idée de ces
douillettes en tombant sur
un lot de vieilles couvertures
de l’armée française, qui
nous ont servi à l’Ace Seattle.
On a ensuite collaboré avec
Pendleton Woolen Mills pour
créer des dessus-de-lit sur
mesure inspirés des couvrelits d’hôtels du début du
xxe siècle, comme celui-ci,
à motif écossais.

Originally we wanted to have
a rolling clothes rack in each
room to reference the neighbourhood’s garment-industry
past, but we went instead
with an open shelving system. Roman and Williams
used old plumbing pipes to
make furnishings like the
lighting fixtures and wardrobes. There’s a kind of
toughness that feels right for
New York. Comme l’histoire
du quartier est liée à l’industrie du vêtement, on voulait
un portemanteau mobile dans
chaque chambre, mais on a
fini par installer des étagères
murales. Roman and Williams
ont conçu des éléments
(comme les luminaires et les
garde-robes) à partir de vieux
tuyaux de plomberie. Ça donne un petit côté costaud qui
représente bien New York.

Most of the furniture is built
with teak or balau wood because it looks warm. The
flooring is made of smooth
terrazzo and feels like a pedicure when walked on. In the
reception area, one wall is
covered with white sandstone and carved into a simple, geometric pattern, which
I designed especially for this
project. It almost vibrates
when lit up. Presque tout le
mobilier est fait de teck ou de
balau, deux bois à l’aspect
chaleureux. Le sol, en terrazzo
lisse, offre un véritable mas­
sage des pieds quand on le
foule. À la réception, il y a un
mur couvert de grès blanc, à
simples motifs géométriques
sculptés, que j’ai conçu spé­
cialement pour ce projet. On
le sent presque vibrer quand
on l’illumine.

We put little spotlights in the
ceiling to illuminate only
the pillowcases, so when you
enter the room at night and
see just the bed lit up, you
want to slip right in. The mirrors on either side give depth
to the room and reflect the
light from the windows and
lamps. On a ajouté de petits
spots au plafond, dirigés sur
les oreillers ; quand vous voyez
le lit éclairé en rentrant dans la
chambre le soir, vous avez envie d’aller dedans. Les miroirs
sur chaque côté agrandissent
la pièce et reflètent l’éclairage
extérieur et intérieur.

In the bathroom, the mirrored vanity wall has an
integrated television screen,
while in the main room we
added a large bookcase to
house an audio system and
a flat-screen TV – like at
home. The technology is
there – you have all the outlets for your phone, iPod and
laptop – but it looks classic.
Dans la salle de bain, on a
encastré une télé dans les
miroirs derrière la vasque, et
dans la chambre on a mis une
grande bibliothèque où l’on a
intégré une chaîne stéréo et
une télé à écran plat, comme
à la maison. La technologie y
est (vous pouvez brancher
votre téléphone, votre iPod,
votre ordinateur), mais avec
la tradition.

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Definitely Not the Old Opera
Bêtes d’arrière-scène
From Vienna to Montreal, Stockholm to New York, Canadian creators André
Barbe and Renaud Doucet have the opera world singing a whole new tune.
De Vienne à Montréal en passant par Stockholm et New York,
les concepteurs canadiens André Barbe et Renaud Doucet insufflent un air
de renouveau au monde de l’opéra.
BY / PAR Jean-François Légaré photos BY / DE Oliver Helbig

It’s been years since I’ve been this entertained by a fairy
tale. I’m on the edge of my cushy seat as I watch an actress
make her dramatic entrance out of the belly of a gigantic stove,
oddly perched at an angle. Then another woman appears in an
enormous retro-style television, à la Lucille Ball, breaking into
song onstage. Everything about the set is so jumbo-size, it’s as
if the actors had downed Alice in Wonderland’s shrinking
potion before time travelling into a 1950s kitchen. Later,
when the curtain rises on the set of an extraordinary snack
bar, the crowd spontaneously breaks into thunderous applause. But the highlight of the show comes when a crew of
actors, all dressed up as Mr. Clean, starts serving the audience popcorn.
No, I’m not in a movie theatre or at the Cirque du Soleil.
This is the premiere of Cendrillon by Jules Massenet, staged
by the very serious Opéra de Montréal – only this Cinderella
was reworked by the Canadian duo André Barbe and Renaud
Doucet into a cross between Grease and a Disney movie.
Originally developed for the Opéra national du Rhin, the
production has spurred such high demand for the pair that
just perusing their schedule is enough to make your head
spin: nine productions last year alone, a full slate in 2011 and
much of 2012 already booked, not to mention the slew of
projects currently in development for some of the world’s
biggest opera companies.
With the man to my left in stitches over the antics of
Cinderella’s wicked stepmother, I figure that if Jules Massenet
were still alive, he’d be the first to ask for more popcorn
(which I myself do – twice). With this sort of iconoclastic
production, Barbe and Doucet – spiritual sons of the great
Robert Lepage – are solidifying Canada’s already enviable
place on the world’s opera stage. Just a few days later, Doucet
proudly shows me an opera encyclopedia that devotes a full
page to their production of Benvenuto Cellini, staged a few
years ago in Strasbourg. And what do we find by chance on
the next page? An entry devoted to The Damnation of Faust
as imagined by... Lepage.

André Barbe hands me a sketch of a costume he designed for the witch in Rusalka, the tragic opera by Antonín
Dvořák, produced last fall at Vienna’s famed Volksoper. (The
company has such faith in Barbe and Doucet that they get to
choose the productions they want to work on – an almost
unheard of scenario in the hierarchical world of opera.) “We
created flexible 10-inch LED screens that two actors wore
under their costumes,” says Barbe. “In the show, the witch
gives Rusalka a potion to make her human, and we wanted to
see the ingredients drop into her stomach. Later Rusalka is
transformed into a will-o’-the-wisp, and her costume, in
addition to having screens in the front and back, was equipped
with LED strips showing other projections that I designed.”
I’m with the couple in their quiet townhouse in Montreal,
on the edge of Rivière des Prairies, where most of the first
floor has been converted into a studio. This is where their
professional collaboration first took shape. “After years of
working together on and off, we realized there was a demand
for our ideas,” explains Barbe, who handles the sets and costumes while his partner mans direction and choreography.
(A former lead dancer, Doucet made his stage debut as a student at the Opéra de Paris dance school. “I was going to get to
meet Nureyev! But they cut me because I was short and fat,”
he says with a laugh.)
Their collaborative process allows them to deliver turnkey
concepts to the companies that hire them. “It’s fairly unusual
in opera,” says Doucet. “Robert Lepage, of course, has his creative centre. And there have been famous duos like Robert
Carsen and James Conlon. But our way of working is still
pretty unique.”
From his desk, Doucet scoops up the annotated score for
La Cenerentola, the Rossini opera about Cinderella (her
again!), which the duo will present in May at the Hamburg
Staatsoper. Even though I read music, I can’t make head or
tails of the massive manuscript. “The last time we went to
meet the Royal Opera people in Stockholm, I gave them a
score for Samson et Dalila that was so well planned out,

they asked me if I’d already done the show somewhere
else,” recalls Doucet. “I answered that I was simply ready –
and that they had a year to learn it!”
The task was made all the more daunting by the setting.
While the opera as originally conceived by Saint-Saëns takes
place in biblical times, Barbe and Doucet’s Samson et Dalila is
set in the modern-day Middle East and addresses the role of
the media in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – and its social
consequences. “We don’t choose sides, obviously,” says Barbe.
Though transposing operas to modern settings isn’t new, the
duo’s idiosyncratic point of view is what makes this production different – just as it did in their 2005 staging of The Sound
of Music, which premiered in Vienna. (The Sound of Music
Companion, a book that traces the musical’s history, devotes
a chapter to their daring production.) “The Sound of Music is
controversial in Austria,” says Barbe. “Talking about a family
that left the country for political reasons, about the Anschluss,
can cause quite a stir. The European press said our production
forced the country to confront its schizophrenic past.”

Once the audience is plied with popcorn, the fairy godmother settles into an enormous red convertible to watch a
film at a drive-in. A screen is lowered, and we see black and
white images of couples, smiling during their wedding ceremonies. Then the title of the next movie segment appears:
“The Marriage of Pierrette and Marcel.” I know this is an important moment for André Barbe. The week before, as we
watched a rehearsal together, he’d told me that this sequence
was drawn from his parents’ wedding footage. “When we did
the show in New York in 2007, it was poignant because my
father had just died. I would have liked for my mother to be
able to see it here in Montreal, but she’s too frail.”
As I applaud the happy marriage of Cinderella to her Prince
Charming, I realize that the show is a perfect metaphor for
Barbe and Doucet’s work. Though their productions reinterpret opera according to modern tastes, the poetry of each
story remains integral and eternal, no matter how it’s told or
what new technology is behind the costumes and the staging.
Which, of course, makes sense: Every Cinderella has the right
to live happily ever after, whether it’s in the 1950s or today.
Write to us: letters@enroutemag.net

From left to right
Art for Art, who built
the costumes and decor
for Rusalka, help weave
together Barbe and
Doucet’s vision; this dress,
made of real hair, has LED
panels on the front, on the
back and in vertical strips.
De gauche à droite
La compagnie Art for Art
s’assure que les costumes
et décors imaginés par
Barbe et Doucet soient dans
le droit fil de leur opéra
Rusalka; cette robe fabriquée
avec de véritables cheveux
cache des écrans LED sur la
poitrine, dans le dos et sur
des bandes verticales.

The DIY CITY
QUARTIeRS LIBReS
In places like Calgary and Portland, regular folks are proving that it takes a village
to raise a city. Welcome to the neighbourhood.
À Calgary et à Portland, où de simples citoyens dynamisent leurs quartiers,
voisiner prend un tout nouveau sens.
By / PAR Craille Maguire Gillies ILLUSTRATIONS By / de Andrew Holder

enRoute
1.2011

63

“Watch out, watch out, watch out!” a toddler yells, hoisting a toy truck to
his shoulders. I step out of the way as he zooms down the sidewalk. I’m in
Share-It Square, a revamped intersection in a verdant Portland, Oregon neighbourhood. The main street – lined with antique shops, shady porches and front
yards resembling mini botanical gardens – is mere blocks away, yet Share-It
Square is the true heart of the community. On one corner, the boy runs in and
out of Kids Klubhouse, a play space decked out with a Plexiglas roof, a table and
chairs, toys and a lending library. Across from that, a guy straddling a bicycle
holds out a mug as I walk past. “Want a cup of tea?” he asks, pointing to a 24-hour
tea station with a stash of cups and a Thermos of hot water. (A neighbour restocks it every morning.) It’s like a self-serve Starbucks without the Wi-Fi.
About 20 neighbourhoods in Portland have undertaken similar “intersection
repairs,” thanks to a community group called City Repair. When the mayor’s
office realized that City Repair’s inexpensive, community-driven renos helped
make neighbourhoods safer, city council officially paved the way for collaborative urban planning. Today the Office of Neighborhood Involvement is only an
elevator ride away from Mayor Sam Adams; locals can take seminars such as
Communities Creating Change, and Building Leaders, Building Your Board;
and last year Adams launched a CivicApps design contest, turning residents
into open-source city planners. (The Best of Show Award went to an app that
provides bus and light-rail arrival times.)
People want their cities – like their banks and corporations – to be more
transparent and accessible, and mayors are responding by bringing citizens
into what was once a closed loop. In Chicago, the Metropolitan Planning
Council offers training in community building, and sprawl-happy Edmonton
put on an Open City confab for feedback on its Open Government project (a
sort of Wikipedia approach to government data). Britain’s capital even held a
series of debates on such existential questions as “Can London Be Both Big
and Beautiful?” and “The 2012 Wish List: What Do You Want for London?”
while the Dutch town of Smallingerland crowd-sourced the development of a
new neighbourhood for what might be the world’s first “wiki-hood.”

In Portland, the affable mayor has been talking lately about “20-minute neighbourhoods,” where all the services you need – food, schools, transit, parks – are
a short walk from your house. The idea is that if people become less mobile,
they’ll spend more money locally and interact more with neighbours. But to get
around a city that’s spread out like a quilt stitched together with the Willamette
River, I follow Radcliffe Dacanay – a planner from the Bureau of Planning and
Sustainability – into a Subaru Outback that he has borrowed from Zipcar.
“We’re a city of neighbourhoods,” he says as we cruise along tree-lined streets. I
quickly discover how different a city looks through an urban planner’s eyes:
Weathered single-family houses along busy roads become obstructions to urban
renewal; plots of bare land between buildings become grey space. When we
drive by a triangle of land in one tired neighbourhood, Dacanay says casually,
“This area could be piazzified.”
In Kenton, the mayor’s own 20-minute ’hood, we’re greeted by a hulking
10-metre-high statue of the mythological lumberjack Paul Bunyan – a fitting
symbol for a city with the nickname Stumptown. Sleepy Kenton has all the
makings of a hipster haven: cutesy moniker (No-Po, for North Portland), a
light-rail station, a US$3-million investment from the Portland Development
Commission and a smattering of hangouts, including Posies Cafe and Kenton
Station Restaurant & Pub. Like many neighbourhoods, it has a website, Facebook
page and e-newsletter. “I absolutely think it can be replicated in other cities,”
Adams has said to The Atlantic magazine. “I do not think it’s anything in our
water, as wonderful as our Portland water is.”
He’s right. Portland’s DIY approach to urban planning has spread to a place
you might not expect. Calgary, the economic engine of a province that’s been
described as “an experiment in fast, cheap and out of control,” has created
Plan It Calgary. The 60-year visioning project aims to curb the city’s legendary
urban sprawl, save $11.2-billion in infrastructure costs (mostly on roads and
utilities) and reinvest in neighbourhoods to create transit centres, live-work
spaces, plazas and parks. As one urban designer warned me before I headed to
Cowtown, “Realize that our second industry after fossil fuels is suburban

Sleepy Kenton, in portland, haS all the
maKingS of a hipSter haven. and liKe many
other neighbourhoodS, it alSo haS a
webSite, facebooK page and e-newSletter.
LE SECTEUR-DORTOIR DE kENTON, à PORTLAND,
A TOUT POUR êTRE BRANCHé. COMME PLUSIEURS
AUTRES qUARTIERS, IL A SON PROPRE SITE WEB,
SA PAGE fACEBOOk ET SON BULLETIN EN LIGNE.
sprawl.” But Calgary also ranks high on livability studies, placing fifth on
The Economist’s 2010 list. (Vancouver took top spot and Toronto came in fourth.)
Locals are finally starting to think about their future.
It couldn’t come soon enough. As I consult the GPS on my rental car, I miss
the pub where I’m supposed to meet two organizers from CivicCamp, an ad hoc
group started by regular Calgarians to discuss urban issues and whose first
project was to advocate for the Plan It initiative. But before I can turn around,
I’m faced with the vortex of Crowchild Trail, one of the terrifying labyrinths of
highways that spew visitors into a suburban expanse stretching toward the
Rocky Mountains. I check for cops, make a U-turn at the on-ramp and loop
back to the parking lot of Mickey’s Juke Joint & Eatery, where I find Cheri
Macaulay and her fellow CivicCamper, Peter Rishaug.
“People felt a collective grumpiness when we hit the 1-million mark; we knew
the city had to change,” says Macaulay, explaining that the need for citizen
involvement is even greater with Calgary expected to swell by another million
inhabitants in coming decades. “Suddenly, people wanted to have different conversations.” So CivicCamp used social media to bring Calgarians into the debate
while Plan It was wending through City Hall. Then it fought for, and won, a seat
on Plan It’s implementation committee and created outreach programs like its
CivicCamp-in-a-Box workshops, which gather neighbours for good old brainstorming sessions on community campaigns and projects similar to Portland’s
City Repair. “Only in the last three years have we come to grips with what Calgary
needs to do,” Rishaug says later as we stand at the Pumphouse Theatre, looking
out over the Bow River close to where the West Village development is planned.
(Along with homes for 12,000 residents and dozens of offices, there’s talk of including an Alberta College of Art + Design campus.)
Strolling along the Bow and imagining Calgary 20 or 30 years from now
brings to mind an experience I had in Portland. I was ambling up Alberta
Street to a monthly street fair, and community spirit was everywhere. At one
stall, two women were selling pink T-shirts printed with “The People’s Republic
of Portland.” Near the end of the thoroughfare, a guy in waist-length dreadlocks and a karate-style outfit was breakdancing to “Thriller” streaming from
a boom box. Stepping closer, I noticed he wasn’t performing for the crowd; he
was dancing for a child sitting on the road. The toddler wobbled to his feet,
busted a few moves and plopped down on the asphalt. As “Thriller” ended,
the boy tottered toward his father, who took him in his arms and swept him
high above the crowd. The sun was starting to set, the cafés were still full and
everyone was out enjoying the city. And why wouldn’t they, when people were
literally dancing in the streets?
Write to us: letters@enroutemag.net

WE CREATED A MONSTER
INTRODUCING THE 2011 WRX STI
What happens when you take pure performance and make it even meaner? You get the 2011 WRX STI. A turbocharged and
intercooled 2.5-litre SUBARU BOXER engine powers a fierce wide-body design that conquers anything and everything
in its path. Combine that with a performance-tuned STI suspension, the advanced SI-DRIVE engine management system,
and the legendary Subaru symmetrical full-time All-Wheel Drive system, and you have a rally-inspired vehicle that’s the
stuff of drivers’ dreams and opponents’ nightmares. Watch this battle unfold at Subaru.ca/performance
SUPERIOR JAPANESE ENGINEERING FROM

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*MSRP of $37,995 on 2011 Impreza WRX STI 4-door (BY1-00). Model shown: 2011 Impreza WRX STI (BY1-SS). MSRP of $41,595. Freight, PDI, license, fees, registration and insurance are extra. Dealers may sell for
less or may have to order or trade. Vehicles shown solely for purposes of illustration, and may not be equipped exactly as shown. See your local Subaru dealer for complete details.

Leisure Island
In search of his own private beach in the Bahamas,
our writer discovers what’s so great about Great Exuma.

After running the boat through a maze of sandy cays and mangrove
channels, my fishing guide, Stevie Ferguson, pulls back on the throttle. We
coast to a stop on the edge of a wide, deserted tidal flat – a pane of clear, kneedeep water stretching to the horizon and its distant grandiose clouds. The
silence is so dramatic, I feel obliged to whisper. I get out my fly rod, taking
care not to clunk the side of the boat. “Beautiful spot,” I tell Stevie. “Oh yeah,
man,” he murmurs. “Nice spot.”
Six foot plus and built like a wrestler, Stevie climbs up on the elevated platform at the rear of the skiff, where he takes a minute to spray and polish his
sunglasses. One of the hardest things about hunting bonefish is seeing them,
and even a good guide can easily put in an hour of hard work before catching
sight of some. The people on Great Exuma say no one can spot fish like Stevie;
born on the island, he has been guiding since he was 12 years old. He slips on
his sunglasses – “You ready, boss?” – leans against his pole and pushes us
forward into the realm of our prey. After 20 minutes of silent prowling, Stevie
breathes the magic words: “Bonefish, 12 o’clock.”
This is the moment of truth. I begin false casting, trying to get the fly as
close to the fish as possible without spooking it. Bonefishing is a tension-filled
sport, but I realize it’s just a game – an edgy way of experiencing this extraordinary natural world. Fishermen visit islands as a sort of spiritual homework, and though I’d always heard that Great Exuma was a special place, I’d
never been in a hurry to get here. There are so many places to fish in the
Bahamas, and I’ve spent a good decade getting to know Eleuthera, Andros,
Bimini, the Abacos and the other main islands. But with Exuma still on my
list, I decided it was time to take the plunge. As Stevie told me when we were
gearing up this morning, “That’s smart, man. You saved the best for last.”
Somehow I manage a half-decent cast. The fish grabs the fly and takes off
at such an absurd speed that the line throws a rooster tail of spray. After
10 minutes of careening back and forth across the tidal flat, the quarry finally
comes into sight. My first thought, as always, is, All that fuss from this little
guy? Bonefish, smallish and humble with sad-sack eyes, a recessive chin and
clownish nose, are too precious to eat, so I remove the fly, take a photo and
watch it dart away.
At noon, Stevie anchors the boat in a ridiculously gorgeous lagoon. We sit
on the gunwale, our legs in the water, and tuck into ham sandwiches and
Kalik beer. While we’re eating, two sharks cruise around the boat, hoping for
handouts. They’re not large enough to worry about, and when they come too
close, we just kick them away.
Stevie wants to know about the other places where I’ve fished. I confess
that although I love fishing, I’ve come to Great Exuma because I’ve heard it’s
one of the prettiest islands in all of the Caribbean. “I’ll tell you a little tale

Opening spread: The calming colour of the water around Great Exuma and the other 700-plus islands in the Bahamas has a ripple effect on the mood on land.
Double page en ouverture : La teinte des eaux mouillant Great Exuma et les 700 autres îles des Bahamas a l’effet d’une véritable chromathérapie sur les habitants.

70

enRoute
1.2011

Above: Being shallow isn’t always a negative attribute, especially when it brings some of the best bonefishing in the world. Below left: Snap up fresh snapper
at a roadside (read: oceanside) restaurant, and wash it down with a cold Kalik. Below right: Snorkelling is as good a way as any to make new friends.
Ci-dessus : Les eaux de Great Exuma grouillent de bonefish et prouvent que le manque de profondeur n’est pas toujours un défaut. Ci-dessous, de gauche à droite :
un bouiboui en bord de route (et de mer) sert un vivaneau tout frais accompagné d’une Kalik bien froide ; pour se faire des amis, rien de mieux que la plongée libre.

about Exuma,” Stevie says. “They say God created the world in six days.
On the seventh day, He rested. But on the eighth day, He was looking at his
work when He thought, You know what? It still needs a little something. It
needs one final touch. And that’s when he created Exuma.”

Local fishermen’s lore has it that astronaut John Glenn, the first American
to orbit the Earth, marvelled at “the turquoise waters and tiny islands strung
out like pearls” in the ocean southeast of Florida, and that Mission Control
told him he was looking down on the Bahamas. The archipelago consists of
some 700 islands and thousands of square kilometres of tidal flats where the
sunlight bounces off suspended coral powder to produce an electric-blue
radiance that can’t be found on any colour chart. Most of the national territory is just barely out of the water or just barely under it. All that shallow
water is nice to look at, but it presented a navigational nightmare for early
explorers. In fact, the Spanish dubbed the region baja mar (shallow seas), and
many centuries worth of wrecked ships litter the sea bottom.
Great Exuma is actually the biggest of a 190-kilometre-long chain of islands
and cays referred to as the Exumas. Once you leave the “capital,” George Town
(pop. 1,000), you pretty much have the Queen’s Highway to yourself, which is
good since it takes me a while to get accustomed to driving on the left side of
the road. Several islanders have told me that there’s no end to the snorkelling
reefs and beaches, which sprinkle the shore along the highway and are accessible via unmarked side roads. In fact, there are so many that the local custom
is if someone is using the beach, find another one.
Testing this theory, I spend the morning exploring half a dozen beaches
and coves. A sort of adolescent petulance takes charge of my search, and I
decide that I’m not just looking for a nice beach; I’m looking for the Ultimate
Beach. The trouble is, every place I find is perfect and bereft of human life.
Not even a footprint. Well, to be honest, at Tropic of Cancer Beach (which is
transected by the latitude marking the beginnings of the Tropics), my binoculars pick out a couple strolling hand in hand over a kilometre away. Damn,
is there no privacy on this island? By noon, the sun is high overhead and as
hot as a heat gun, and it seems appropriate to interrupt my research with
lunch. Every 15 minutes or so, the Queen’s Highway passes through a little
hamlet or settlement, and in one of them I stop at Santanna’s Grill Pit, a
brightly painted open-air restaurant, next to the ocean.
Pulling up a stool, I nod to the dozen-odd patrons who are gathered in the
shade under the roof overhang. In a Canadian city, we would all be diligently
reading our newspapers and ignoring each other. But this is the Bahamas,
where social interaction is an odd mix of scrupulous British politeness and
disorienting familiarity. The typical salutation goes something like, “You

all right?” which always makes me wonder if I’ve committed a faux pas
or if my shirt is on inside out. Everyone wants to know how you are doing.
When I first came to the Bahamas, I assumed this cheerful politesse was
courtesy of the tourist dollar, but an elderly lady scolded me for suggesting
such a thing. “That’s how we raise our children,” she said. “It’s simple good
manners.” So when a weather-beaten Bahamian fisherman a few stools away
gives me a steady look and says, “You all right?” I know he’s not implying that
I have ketchup on my pants.
He’s working away at his lunch, a grilled rockfish tucked under a steaming
blanket of rice and vegetables. I ask him if it’s good. “Yes, sir,” he says and nods
gravely. Denise Rolle Styles, the proprietor, bustles past me with a platter of
hot fish and cold beer. “Oh yeah, darling, it’s good. All my fish is nice and
fresh, swimming in the ocean just a few hours ago. I’ve got a special arrangement with that gentleman there. I sleep with him,” she says, nodding to the
fisherman. “He’s my husband.”
While waiting for my order, I glance at an elderly couple sitting a few stools
in the other direction. I hit them with the standard opener: “You all right?”
“Couldn’t be better,” says the man, who is dressed in tennis shorts and running shoes and looks about 90 years old. His wife puffs on a little cigar and
watches her husband wolfing down his meal. Perhaps misunderstanding my
question, she explains, “John has teeth; he just can’t find them.”
John tells me that they travelled all over the Caribbean, and Great Exuma
is the best island they ever saw. “It has the nicest people and the prettiest
water,” he says. “So we moved here and have lived here for 40 years.” I tell him
I’m looking for the Ultimate Beach, and he smiles, as if he’s pondered that
question himself. “I’ve never seen one I didn’t like.” And when I ask him if he
has a favourite, he unfolds a napkin, scrawls a little pirate map on it and hands
it to me with a wink. “Don’t tell anybody.”
An hour later, I’m bouncing down a dirt road into a shady grove of
Bahamian pines. There, laid out in movie-set perfection, is a secluded bay
with a deserted white beach and a wide cove of transparent water. At the head
of the cove are shadows in the water – coral formations, ideal for snorkelling.
Donning mask and snorkel, I wade into the warm water and swim out.
Puttering along on the surface, I get that odd sensation of inhabiting two
worlds at once, a land-dwelling creature gazing down onto a mystic aquatic
world below. Multicoloured fish weave and turn through the branches of
coral, and I let my body drift back and forth above the reef with the slowmotion balletic pulse of the water. There is utter silence except for my breathing through the snorkel tube. And for a moment, I feel like I belong here.
Write to us: letters@enroutemag.net

This is a win, win, win,
win, win, win situation.
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WhErE to Stay / Où lOgER
Located in the middle of George Town and within a
short walk of the local marina and restaurants, the simple and storied 53-year-old Club Peace & Plenty has
attracted everyone from Jackie Onassis to Johnny Depp.
Situé au cœur de George Town, à quelques pas de
la marina et des restaurants, le Club Peace & Plenty,
simple mais légendaire, attire depuis 53 ans les grands
de ce monde, de Jackie Onassis à Johnny Depp.

Locals and visitors come to stroll through the warren
of huts known as the Fish Shacks, 15 minutes by foot
from George Town. Surrounded by wafting island
music and appetizing aromas from open-air charcoal
grills, dig into sweet grilled lobster, fish and jerk

Meet and learn from Robert Keats,
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Thank you!

We would like to thank our partners for their generous contributions to our recent film
gala party following the official presentation of What’s Wrong With Virginia.

Luksusowa is a traditional Polish vodka
produced from specially cultivated
potatoes from the Wielkopolska and
Pomorze regions of Poland. Using
only potatoes grown in the best soils
and weather conditions, Luksusowa is
known for its trademark silky taste and
its intense, rich character.

The combination of evian Natural
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Two Oceans takes its name from
the two great oceans – the warm
Indian and the cold Atlantic – that
converge along the southern
coast of Africa.
Two Oceans – from a very special place.

This unique Scottish beer is
matured using hand selected oak
barrels from Kentucky. The result
is a refreshing, honey-hued beer
with aromas of vanilla and toffee,
and a malty, lightly oaked finish.

Navigating today’s complex
dating scene can be daunting,
and busy professionals often wonder who to turn
to for advice. We sat down with It’s Just Lunch
dating expert Jacquie Brownridge to discuss the
difficulties of dating for singles on the go. Here’s
some of the savvy advice she gives to her clients.

Why is dating so challenging these days
for career-focused singles?
Dating is complicated, especially for busy professionals,
but it’s not calculus. Throw a demanding professional
or family life into the mix, and it simply comes down to
timing and opportunity. Time is valuable and in short
supply, but time is exactly what it takes to efficiently
navigate today’s dating world. With our help, clients
go out on dates with someone who already meets their
essential requirements at a time that is convenient to
them. That way, the only thing left to be determined is
chemistry.

What type of person uses
It’s Just Lunch?
Clients come to me because they have decided to be
proactive, and want a professional approach to finding
a great match. And often because of the professional
stature they have achieved, online dating is just
inappropriate, as well as too time consuming for them.
They recognize that we have a large pool of interesting
professionals, and a successful and confidential
process to help them find their perfect match.

So, that’s why they come to IJL?
To meet their match?

“Great guys and women
aren’t waiting around to
bump into you. You need
to market yourself.”

Absolutely! Our clients come to IJL because they want
to find someone special. They hire us as results-driven
dating specialists. People trust professionals to handle
many aspects of their lives, so why not count on a
professional to help you find someone special? We are
matchmaking professionals—this is what we do day in
and day out. We take a personal approach and remain
objective. A successful love life for our clients is our goal.

What really differentiates IJL from the
other dating options out there?
My clients look to me as their personal dating specialist.
At IJL, we meet with our clients face-to-face and identify
the key characteristics they are looking for in a match.
We learn what has and hasn’t worked for them in the
past and put a positive plan in place. Then we introduce
them to other like-minded singles in a casual, lowpressure first date setting where they can truly be
themselves. Because in the end, it’s just lunch! But the
match could be magic.

IT’S JUST LUNCH has professional dating specialists just like Jacquie all around
the world. Call us and discover how we can help you create a more rewarding dating life today.
Toronto
416.703.3900

Calgary
403.264.6848

Edmonton
780.470.5545

Real People. Real Dates.

Vancouver, Victoria
604.633.9980

Visit ITSJUSTLUNCH.COM

Touching Circles

Three circles touch in three places, highlighted here with black dots.
Can you find the minimum number of identical circles on a single
plane required to create nine points of contact?

ently nestled between the verdant St.
Ann mountains and the Caribbean Sea,
Sandals Grande Ocho Rios is an oasis
designed to offer guests two distinct vacations in
one. Comprised of the elegant sophistication and
vibrant beach culture of the Caribbean Riviera
(the Beach Club) and the exclusive and chic
Ciboney Villas (the Manor), nestled along the
lush mountainside, Sandals Grande Ocho Rios
can satisfy the needs of all travellers.
With an extensive refurbishment project
well underway, guests will be able to enjoy 14
culinary options: the brand-new Soy, a sushi
bar; Dino’s Pizzeria, serving up gourmet,
made-to-order, brick-oven pizzas; Kimonos, a
teppanyaki-style restaurant; Neptune’s, serving
Mediterranean classics right on the beach; Le
Jardinier, a French bistro; Mario’s, a classic
southern Italian restaurant; and Gordon’s, a
ﬁne-dining restaurant for butler level guests

SUGGEST
Nos suggestions

2 aircanadavacations.com

set on the resort’s extensive pier.
Flanked by the Caribbean Sea, a new
boardwalk will feature a series of romantic ﬁre
pits, as well as an upgraded observation deck on
the pier, perfect for couples to appreciate the
view. For guests who prefer to spend their time
at the beach, additional cabanas will also be
added to the Beach Club.
After exploring the resort grounds,
guests can retreat to their newly remodelled
accommodations in the Manor side of the resort.
All suites within the resort’s exclusive Ciboney
Villas, tucked into the lush mountainside, will
now enjoy 24-hour room service. The private
pools, which adorn many of the suites, will
also be updated with new patio furniture, and
the rooms with new mahogany furniture, iPod
docking stations, and plasma TVs.
Indeed it is a new era of luxury. ■

Sandals Grande Ocho Rios
Beach & Villa Golf Resort was
named one of the top hotels
in the Caribbean by Conde
Nast Traveler’s annual 2010
Reader’s Choice Awards.

Cabanas

Ciboney Villa suites

Reserve a cabana hidden in a lush
garden, by the pool or by the beach.
You can even request cabana
concierge service and enjoy fresh
drinks, towels and more all day long.

Set in the St. Ann Mountains, tucked
away in lush gardens for complete
privacy, these suites include private
pools, 24-hour room service and
some have butler service.

FOOD AND WINE PAIRING
Le Papillon’s French-inspired
Caribbean cuisine mingles the
ﬁnest of Europe and the incredibly
fresh local produce of Jamaica.
Let the sommelier take you on a
truly unforgettable culinary tour
with wine pairings from Sandals’
extensive wine cellar. (Additional cost)

The hottest spot in Jamaica, the
Beach Club allows you to take in
the hypnotic island rhythms and
soft ocean breezes. Sip cocktails
on chaise lounges by ﬁre pits
or dance the night away with
new-found friends.

Reach for the top at the exciting
rock climbing wall, part of the
extensive Red Lane® Fitness
Center, which offers the latest in
ﬁtness equipment and training
options including LifeFitness
equipment and a variety of classes.

THE C BAR AND
THE ART OF SABRAGE
Savour the ﬁnest imported
caviar at the Caribbean’s only
champagne and caviar bar.
You can also witness the art of
sabrage, a French ceremonial
technique where the champagne
bottle is opened with the sharp
blow of a sabre. (Additional cost)

Exclusive to Air Canada Vacations
DOUBLE AEROPLAN MILES
at Sandals & Beaches Resorts and
the Royal Plantation Collection

EARN UP TO

13,000

EROPLAN® MILES PER MEMBER

ON ONE-WEEK AIR & HOTEL PACKAGES
Book by January 31, 2011. Aeroplan Miles indicated are based on roundtrip
Economy class per passenger from Vancouver to Jamaica. Not valid for
Sandals Royal Hicacos in Varadero, Cuba. Conditions may apply. ®Aeroplan
is a registered trademark of Aeroplan Canada Inc.

This winter, Air Canada Vacations’ packages feature non-stop
ﬂights to Jamaica from eight major Canadian cities, convenient
connectors from 65 cities and thousands of Aeroplan® Miles.
Book online today at aircanadavacations.com.

Top Tier Program Updates!
Du nouveau pour les statuts supérieurs
In order to qualify for Air Canada Top Tier status
in 2012, you must earn your Air Canada Status
Miles or Status Flight Segments on eligible flights
operated by Air Canada, Jazz or Star Alliance™
member airlines between January 1, 2011, and
December 31, 2011. New this year: As part of their
qualifying flight activities, all Top Tier members
must fly a minimum of five Status Flight Segments
or earn 10,000 Status Miles on flights operated by
Air Canada and its regional airline partners, such as
Jazz. Remember, if you achieve Air Canada Elite® or
Super Elite® status prior to mid-October 2011, you’ll
earn your status immediately and it will be valid
through February 2013.
Also new this year are enhancements to the
range of Select Privileges available to Top Tier
members, including the introduction of Air Canada
eUpgrades, which will make paper upgrade certificates a thing of the past. Top Tier customers will
be able to easily manage their eUpgrade Credits
through a personal online account at aircanada.com;
eUpgrades can be used for travel effective March 1,
2011. For more information, visit the Miles & Privileges
section at aircanada.com.

When an air cargo shipment travels, it needs much the
same documentation as a passenger would: a reservation,
a booking reference, a ticket and proper identification.
This is where air Canada Cargo customer service agents
come in. To make a single booking, agents work out
dozens of details – from the weight and dimension
of the shipment, which determines the type of aircraft
it will travel on, to the content of the shipment and
whether it has special requirements, like temperaturecontrolled storage or extra security for high-value items.
Once the paperwork is sorted out, and shipments arrive
in the warehouse and get loaded on pallets, things really
get moving. Take the cargo facility in Montreal, where a
specially equipped floor keeps everything rolling smoothly,
literally. a station attendant mans the helm of a console
and manipulates the floor – containing hundreds of
rollers and rotating discs – with levers, effortlessly
guiding thousands of kilograms of cargo with the flick of
the wrist. Shipments are then directed out the door, with
more station attendants loading the cargo onto a long
line of flatbeds. The cargo is delivered to the ramp area
and dropped off at each aircraft, hitting every gate on the
list, in sequence, until the last piece is dropped off. The
truck then hauls the flatbeds to meet aircraft that have
just landed, and the whole process is repeated – in reverse.

Contrails, or condensation trails, are
water vapour spewed from the jet
engine’s exhaust. Because of frigid
outside temperatures, about -57oC,
this moisture immediately freezes,
forming ice crystals. Sometimes
the air is very dry, so these contrails
evaporate quickly. However, when
the air is moist – typically when
a weather system is moving in –
these contrails take much longer
to disperse and can actually be a
precursor to changes in the weather.
Les traînées de condensation sont
de la vapeur d’eau émise par les
réacteurs. En raison de la température
extérieure frigorifique, environ -57 °C,
cette humidité gèle immédiatement
et forme des cristaux de glace.
Quand l’air est très sec, ces traînées

Windows are built small and round
to withstand the frequent cycles of
pressurization. A round window
withstands pressure better than
a square one. Yet windows in
general are getting much bigger on
airliners and private jets thanks to
state-of-the-art materials and new
manufacturing techniques. But wait
until the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
shows up in a couple of years! The
windows will be 65 percent larger
than industry standard. Plus, they

Director David Fincher charts the rise of
Facebook founder mark Zuckerberg and his
sometimes tense relations with his Harvard
University classmates, from the very
beginning of the social networking site up
to its enormous commercial success.
Le réalisateur David Fincher se penche
sur le cas de Mark Zuckerberg, fondateur
de Facebook, et analyse ses rapports parfois
tendus avec ses camarades de l’université
de Harvard, depuis le tout début de son site
de réseautage social jusqu’à son énorme
succès commercial.

Fresh out of police academy, five rookie
cops assigned to the same Toronto police
station must learn to deal with the pressures
and challenges of their new career. Peu
après leur sortie de l’académie de police, cinq
bleus affectés au même commissariat de
Toronto devront apprendre à gérer la pression
et à résoudre les problèmes posés par leur
nouveau métier.

The American singer-songwriter teams up
with a group of talented musicians for his
fourth album, recorded in less than two weeks
in his massachusetts home. Without straying
from his folk, blues and rock roots, he delivers
a subtle, serious album that evokes the
countryside and the open road. L’auteurcompositeur américain fait équipe avec des
musiciens de talent pour son quatrième album,
enregistré en moins de deux semaines dans sa
résidence du Massachusetts. Sans s’éloigner
de ses racines folk, blues et rock, il livre un
disque sobre, tout en subtilités, qui évoque
la route et les grands espaces.

in store for the
Third-grader Ella has a surprise
day.
er
care
on
s
clas
whole

ON TV:
• Catch “MOVIEOLA SHORTS” - Satu
rdays at 7pm on CHCH (Toronto).
One Hour of the World’s Best Short
Films!
• To Subscribe to the Movieola Servi
ce on Digital, Contact your Local
Television Provider!

enRoute wants your photos of your favourite
places in Houston, Kingston (Jamaica),
Montreal, Santiago and St. John’s. Upload
your best shots with a short writeup describing
each place at enroute.aircanada.com/flash
or send them to flash@enroutemag.net
and browse through our online photo gallery
to find other submissions from our readers.
Visit our website for complete rules and
regulations. All published photos are eligible
to win the Flash Photo of the Year, announced
in the December issue of enRoute in 2011.

When machines start driving machines we’ll consider a change.
Computers can measure performance. But they can’t feel. They can’t appreciate the connection between
the driver and the road. Which is why Infiniti has a Master Driver, whose extraordinary skill is actually
formally recognized by the government of Japan. His sole job is to provide engineers with human feedback.
Emotional feedback. Which goes a long way towards explaining the efficient performance of the new
2.5-litre V6 powered 2011 G25 Sedan, the latest addition to the legendary G lineup.
This is inspired performance. This is the way of Infiniti.

The new 2011 G25 Sedan, starting from $36,390 *
Visit infiniti.ca on your computer or smart phone.
†MSRP for 2011 G25 Sedan (G4TK71 AA00) is $36,390. Freight and PDE charges of $1,920, license, registration, insurance, duties and applicable taxes (including excise tax, fuel conservation tax,
tire recycling tax and duties on new tires, where applicable) are extra. All prices are subject to change without notice. Retailer may sell for less. ®The INFINITI names, logos, product names, feature
names, and slogans are trademarks owned by or licensed to Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., and/or its North American subsidiaries.